123123 was in a race to beat 070707. 070707 had already beaten 111111. It is yet to be determined if 123123 won.
Most are scratching their heads, trying to figure out what that means. Let’s see if I can simplify it with a couple of /. 12/31/23 was in a race to beat 07/07/07 which had beaten 11/11/11. Now, you realize that we are talking about dates but there’s still a bit of confusion, right? Let me clear this up.
Each of these dates are special because of their sequential numbers. They are called “specialty dates.” Couples flocked to Las Vegas on “Lucky 7s” day to get married on July 7, 2007 because of the order of numbers in the date: 07/07/07. There were 4,492 weddings performed on that date, the most weddings officiated in one day. On 11/11/11, there were 3,125 weddings, failing to beat 07/07/07.
This past New Year’s Eve, 123123 or 12/31/23, was expected to surpass the record set in 2007 since the “double whammy” effect was in place. Not only was this a specialty date but it was a date when people are naturally celebrating. 12/31/23 was expected to be the biggest blowout ever!
Over 400,000 people converged on the Vegas strip to celebrate the incoming New Year. Marriage licenses were being sold like candy. At the time of writing this devotional, it was yet to be determined how many of those licenses materialized into ceremonies.
And it’s yet to be determined how many of those ceremonies will materialize into “until death do us part” marriages.
Before we too quickly dismiss the novelty of getting married on a specialty date, many of you got married on your own specialty date. You might have chosen a date because it was when your favorite grandparents were married, and you wanted to honor them. Some married on the birthday of one of the couples. If both the bride and groom shared the same birthdate, getting married on that day was a special gift! Others got married on Valentine’s Day. Some chose a Christmas wedding.
There was nothing romantic about the date my wife and I chose. I was between semesters, and it was the only time the college permitted you to get married although they discouraged it since the school year was still going. The college Christmas break was only three weeks and Christmas and New Years was in there. We weren’t left with many options and waiting wasn’t an option! So, we chose 12/19/87 – 121987. Nothing sequential or special about those numbers! But it wasn’t about the numbers. It was about the special person I was marrying. Cue the awwwwww!
In Matthew 19:4-6, we read, “And [Jesus] answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, (5) And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (6) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Marriage takes work. I don’t know if it is the fault of romance novels, Lifetime and Hallmark movies, or just the way society views marriage, but when couples don’t have the fairy tale romance years after they are married like they had the day of the wedding, they are ready to end it all. That is sad!
Perhaps some of the fault stems from before the marriage. So much work is invested in finding, dating, and keeping that love of your life. Thousands of dollars are spent in lavish ceremonies that includes a wedding planner, destination, venue, color schemes, florists, musicians, catering, entertainment, and elaborate honeymoons. But, once the event is finished, reality sets in. And reality is nothing like the event!
Reality is back to work, taking care of a house, car, and other maintenance-needy items. Reality doesn’t have a color scheme or theme. It’s not catered food, entertainment, and exotic trips. Reality isn’t over-the-top emotions that make you giddy. It’s not fancy clothes and perfect makeup and hair. It’s not about everyone’s attention on you. There’s the kicker – reality is not all about you. How’s that for a reality check?
Some couples aren’t good at handling reality.
The answer to it all is found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. We apply these verses to marriage but the context is more about friendship and working together. The Scripture says, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. (10) For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. (11) Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? (12) And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
The answer is tucked away in verse 12. A marriage takes THREE, not two. It takes the bride, the groom, and the Lord. When the Lord is left out of the marriage, the other two cords quickly fray and untangle.
You may not have had the kind of wedding soiree that would have graced the cover of Glitz and Glamour. There may not have been hors d’oeuvres followed by an elegant meal on fine china and served by waiters in gloves. A stringed quartet didn’t provide dinner music and doves weren’t released. Your honeymoon may have been Motel 6 and a box of chicken nuggets.
But, if you can get 10, 20, 30 or more years under your belt, you have a great love for each other, and you can see how God has blessed and guided, you have more than most people will ever get in a marriage. Marriages like this are WORTH the work. Amen? Amen!